One NZ chief executive Jason Paris has apologised and withdrawn his criticism of NRL referees, after NZ Warriors' controversial defeat by champions Penrith Panthers last month.
The Warriors sponsor's boss created outrage within the Aussie rugby league competition, when he accused officials of ganging up against the Auckland team, something fans on this side of the Tasman have suspected for decades.
Warriors forwards Jackson Ford and Demitric Sifakula were both yellow-carded during the 18-6 defeat at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, as part of the NRL Magic Round, prompting a frustrated response from Paris.
"Are you kidding me? How biased are the @bunker and referees against the @NZWarriors," he tweeted. "Have they got money on them to lose?
"It's like we are permanently against 14 on the field and they want us to play with 12. Huge courage from the boys."
While the NRL reeled, Paris doubled down on AM, claiming the questionable rulings weren't limited to the Panthers game, but dated back several weeks.
Two weeks earlier, half Dylan Walker was sin-binned for dangerous contact in a tight loss to Melbourne Storm on Anzac Day. In his absence, the Storm scored a try, but Walker was later cleared of suspension by the NRL judiciary.
Melbourne took their decisive lead with a try, despite a clear knockon by Storm centre Riemis Smith in the build-up.
The NRL threatened legal action over the comments, but both parties seem to have come to an amicable agreement, with Paris' latest social media post.
"I unreservedly apologise for the comments I made about NRL match officials," he tweeted. "I am a passionate rugby league fan and have been for decades.
"I made those comments in the heat of the moment and am sorry for any impact they may have had on the reputation of any NRL referee.
"NRL referees are not cheats and are not biased. They go to work every week and do a tough job, so that we get to enjoy the greatest game..
"Impugning their professionalism was a mistake. People can watch a game of footy and legitimately question the decisionmaking, but questioning the integrity of officials is unacceptable.
"Like many Warriors supporters I back my team 100 percent and will continue to do so. I hope we can move past this distraction and focus on enjoying the game we all love."
In a separate statement, the NRL says it considers the matter closed.
"Respecting and protecting NRL referees and match officials is a matter of critical importance to the NRL," it said.
"While there may be differences of views about particular decisions made during a game, comments that call into question the integrity or honesty of NRL referees and match officials are baseless and unaccceptable.
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